Making Memories & Resolutions

I've been a bit MIA. One of my girlfriends came for a visit and then we joined two other friends in Napa for my birthday. Now, I'm finally getting back into the swing of things.

Now to get back to writing and enjoy the last few weeks of summer with my girls! Speaking of them, we headed into San Francisco last week. Life really is all about the memories. I truly believe living is what makes us better writers.

Today, my (unofficial) UtopYA 2015 Resolutions are featured over at The Paisley Reader here. Please take a look. It's a great series, so be sure and check out some of the other featured attendees while you are there.

I'm off to get some work done. Hope everyone is doing well and making memories!

You Can't Get Anywhere if You Don't Start

During the month of January, I'm participating in BlogHer's NaBloPoMo. The goal is to blog daily. Monday through Friday there are prompts if you need them, and the whole month has the theme of Beginnings.

Friday's prompt intrigued me: Do you wish the start of the year was in a different season? Which one?

Changing the season wouldn't change the concept. Beginnings are a fresh start, but I often place high expectations on new ideas. Every January 1st, I think about the year ahead. What do I want to accomplish? What can I do differently to make this year successful?

Ideas and goals sprout from many different directions. There's hope, and hope is an amazing motivator. The hard part is maintaining the energy when life starts throwing obstacles in your way.

No matter which season you pick as a starting point, you still have to start. The hardest part of any run for me is getting started. Most days, I put on my workout clothes first thing. I'm embarrassed to admit how many times I end the day in those very clothes without exercising. I promise myself I'll do a couple of tasks first and then go for a run. All of the sudden, anything looks better than running... laundry, dishes, cleaning house, writing posts.

The trick is to just do it. Go first thing, limit the excuses. But it's also making it through the first mile. My body needs time to adjust, and so does my mind. Usually, if can get past mile one, I find my zone. By the end, I'm glad I did it.

The start is all about mentally preparing. So really any month is a starting point, and new goals can start anytime. You just have to put one foot in front of the other.

Welcome 2012: Please Be Kind

New Year’s resolutions always cause me angst. I want to evaluate my life and commit to goals, but I feel such pressure trying to know today my goals for an entire year.

My overall goals never change. I always strive to be the best mother, wife, daughter, and friend that I can. This generally leads me to recommitting to working on patience. More than anything, I want kindness to be my gut reaction to all things. This means being kind to myself, too. Too often I am my own worst critic.

This week I will be defining my writing resolutions through a couple of posts. First, I will detail my writing goals as part of my A Round of Words in 80 Days goal post on Tuesday, January 3. This will be a day late, but for good reason . . . tomorrow I am excited to host fellow ROW80 writer, Elizabeth Ann West. She will be talking about resolutions and giving away copies of her novel, Cancelled, in eBook format. My review will be available on Mom in Love with Fiction the same day. (Preview: A squealing 5 stars!)

I will also be reviewing Stephen King’s On Writing in early January. It was the perfect book for me to read year-end. King lit a fire under my butt in many ways and helped me understand my writing style.

King drove home an idea I’ve always believed in: good writers read, and they read a lot. To that end, I have joined the 2012 To Be Read (TBR) Reading Challenge. I plan to join a few more reading challenges, to be announced at various times this month. In addition, I will continue to read and review books for Rebecca’s Reads and Mom in Love with Fiction.

To stay on top of my January blogging and start the year off right, I have joined BlogHer's NaBloPoMo (this month's theme is Beginnings) and the Ultimate Blog Challenge.

I feel added pressure with resolutions this year because I will be 40 in August. There’s something about “mid-life” that makes you evaluate where you’ve been and where you want to go. Two things I know I want to accomplish this year: complete a half marathon and finish my second novel. Wish me luck!

As far as the rest of my goals, I’m going to take 2012 one month at a time. I want to find a nice balance between family and writing/editing. I’m still figuring out how to structure my days to allow for dedicated writing and family time.

I’m raising my glass in honor of 2012 and hoping it brings all of you many blessings. May you achieve your goals, whatever they may be.